Lakers’ LeBron James Reacts to Foul Calls as Raptors’ Rajaković Rips ‘BS’ Discrepancy
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James backed the officiating of Tuesday’s 132-131 win over the Toronto Raptors after Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković slammed the fourth-quarter foul discrepancy.
Speaking to reporters after the game (beginning at 4:02 mark of video), James gave a matter-of-fact answer when asked about Rajaković’s complaints, saying: “I felt like they fouled and we didn’t.”
Rajaković took aim at the officials during his postgame interview, especially on the topic of the Lakers getting 23 free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter compared to only two for Toronto (h/t ESPN):
“It’s outrageous. What happened tonight, this is completely B.S. This is shame. Shame for the referees. Shame for the league to allow this. Twenty-three free throws for them, and we get two free throws in the fourth quarter? Like, how to play the game? I understand respect for All-Stars and all that, but we have star players on our team as well.
“How [is it] possible that Scottie Barnes, who is All-Star-caliber player in this league, he goes every single time to the rim with force and trying to get to the rim without flopping and not trying to get foul calls, he gets two free throws for a whole game? How is that possible? How are you going to explain that to me?”
To Rajaković’s point, the Lakers benefited significantly from foul calls during the fourth quarter, as their performance at the free-throw line allowed them to score 44 points in the final frame.
The Raptors scored 42 points in the fourth quarter despite a lack of calls in their favor, but it wasn’t quite enough to match L.A., which prevailed by one point.
For the game, the Lakers made 28 of their 36 free-throw attempts (77.8 percent), while the Raptors had only 13 shots from the charity stripe, making eight (61.5 percent).
Both teams shot excellently from the field in a game that didn’t feature much defense, as Toronto shot 56.4 percent from the floor and 48.6 percent from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Lakers shot 54.3 percent on field goals and 44.4 percent from three-point range.
Lakers big man Anthony Davis was undoubtedly the star of the game with 41 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, while LeBron pitched in 22 points, 12 assists and five boards in the winning effort.
The Raptors squandered a balanced offensive that saw four starters—Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley—score between 21 and 26 points.
Tuesday’s loss dropped the Raptors to 15-22 on the season, and they will look to bounce back Wednesday when they remain in L.A. to face the Clippers.
The Lakers, who improved to 19-19, will have Wednesday off before hosting the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.
